Describe a constructivist lesson you would teach:
I have actually had a chance to teach a form of a constructivist lesson through a previous class I have taken. A partner and I developed a physical knowledge activity and explored bubbles with preschoolers. One way we should have gone prior to the activity might have been to have a small discussion with the children about what they know about bubbles (they have probably blown them before, seen them in the bathtub or the kitchen sink). Through this type of activity- most commonly known as a KWL chart- I could have determined what the children already know about bubbles, possible revealing some of their misconceptions, as well as what they need to know about bubbles. Now, this may seem like an unusual topic to explore with children, but at such a young age, the preschoolers were genuinely interested in the activities and have many curiosities about the way things work, even if it is something as simple as bubbles.
After figuring out what they know, (this next step is actually what happened in my activities), I would do some actual experimentation with the children. I provided them with several different types of bubble wands, in different dishes, and we even experimented with different forms of bubbles (the liquid bubbles and bubbles we created from soap and water). Through this actual experimentation, that we performed outside, I observed the children's actions and words- how they described the movement of bubbles, were they excited about what they were making, could they explain what was happening? I did experience some exciting inquisition during another activity I performed with the same materials, same setup, however this time we experimented with blowing bubbles indoors. One child noticed that when we blew bubbles inside, they didn't go as far as when we had blown them outside. When I asked why he thought this was, his response was to the effect that there was no wind inside the classroom to move the bubbles. (This was exciting! He was constructing his own knowledge from what he observed!)
If I had had more time to devote to this activity, I would have wanted to explore the concept of bubbles over many more consecutive days. I think we could have went in depth with the physical knowledge content, because eventually (hopefully) the children would wonder why bubbles moved a certain way, had only one certain shape, and why they floated. I think the point here that I want to make, and with any type of constructivist lesson, is that the children construct their knowledge based on their discovery. Throughout the activity I did with the children, i posed questions to guide their thinking- open-ended questions like "Why do you think...?" These types of questions, where children really have to think about the answer, help push children to think deeply and construct answers. It should be exemplified by the teacher that even though the answer is wrong (or not what we expected), it should be considered valuable!
Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student's individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
I am beginning to learn more and more how important it is to create a "community of learners." As an adult and in college, I have always felt strongly about doing independent work (probably because I don't usually enjoy working in groups, however I want to be optimistic about that). With more experience on this idea of community of learners, I am really seeing the benefits of collaboration, and I feel it is very important in the elementary years. Along with this, I also think providing hands on experiences are beneficial to students' learning. I know that I learn best when I am actually able to carry out the idea, and it sticks with me better than just listening about it. With my students, I hope to create as many hands on, real world experiences in creative ways so that they not only remember what they learned, but also comprehend and truly understand the material and can explain or "teach" it to someone else.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Chapter 6: Cognitive Psychology
What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?
One thing I want my students to take away from my class is an ability to recall information. I have a terrible memory, but I want to attempt to create great memories in the children I teach. Through consistent routines and repetition of (necessary) material, I think I could be successful in this, although maybe not at first. It will take many years to master this skill. I also want my students to be able to apply their knowledge to events out in their world outside of school. There is nothing more exciting and satisfying than being able to apply what you learn in out of school settings. It is a great confidence booster when children are able to express their knowledge; especially when they are able to express their knowledge to adults whom they might think they are "teaching."
Cognitive psychology and the ways in which the brain works are intriguing topics, that I think can even be explored with children, beginning at a certain age. Attention is one interesting topic that would be great to discuss and share with children. Many lessons could be devoted just to attention, and how to best retain our focus on a subject. Possibly by helping everyone in the class recognize and understand each other's attention "getters" and "distractors" may create a more harmonious atmosphere for learning.
How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
I really like the bulleted table on page 187 from chapter 6. I could see myself making a simplified classroom chart from this information that reflects my views on getting all children involved in the attention process. As far as memory, I think I would try to use repetition as much as possible. Also, I would provide many presentations of material- visual, audio, a combination- as well as creating fun ways to remember certain procedures. I have typically learned and remember several concepts, procedures, and even foreign songs through singing and through learning songs. This is something I really want to incorporate in to my class. I think it is just another technique to encourage memory.
I found this picture, and I really like it's representation of the mind, because it really does work like gears. Our minds are constantly turning and processing information, and I believe, if we do not think deeply about our intake of information and just barely scratch the surface, our minds can rust, just like metal gears.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Teaching and Learning
I feel like there are so many (maybe too many) ways to define teaching and learning. The most basic definition of teaching I am thinking about right now is that: Teaching is showing someone how to do something new and giving them the basic skills they need in order to get that "something" done. The key word here is 'new'. Teaching is an action that involves another person having little or no prior knowledge of the skill or idea. Something new is brought to their attention and is brought to their thoughts. Learning, on the other hand, is a little more complicated to define. In relation to my teaching definition, learning means: Taking in the new information presented by [the teacher] and forming and fitting that knowledge in to what you [the learner] may or may not have already known. These definitions are very basic and broad, but both teaching and learning can be very broad considering the circumstance.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Chapter 15: Student's Achievement and Abilities
Imagine that you are meeting with Ingrid's grandmother today to explain her scores on the recent standardized achievement test pictured at the bottom of p. 559. What will you tell her about Ingrid's performance? her strengths? her weaknesses?
If I were meeting with her grandmother about the recent standardized test scores, I would discuss with her, first, the areas in which Ingrid did the best. I would begin by discussing Ingrid's reading comprehension score and how she excelled in this subject area by scoring in the 92nd percentile. I may discuss with her how Ingrid has a high interest in reading, and her reading comprehension score reflects that. She has excelled well beyond the average score. Next, I would talk about her scores in science and social studies. While the scores are not as high as reading comprhension, I would tell her that Ingrid is still doing exceptionally well in both subject areas, and while she may not show as much of an interest in these areas, she does understand the concepts and is able to reflect her knowledge on a standardized test. Finally, I would discuss with her grandmother the last three categories of the test: spelling, math computation, and math concepts. It appears that Ingrid is having difficulties with math and spelling. She seems to grasp math concepts a little better than math computation. As far as spelling, this subject seems to be difficult for Ingrid also. The spelling score is somewhat out of the ordinary (in my opinion) considering the very high score she received in reading comprehnsion. I would tell her grandmother that in order for Ingrid to gain more skills in spelling and math, I would identify where she is struggling along the continuum, then supply hre with the practice she needs.
If grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to help strengthen Ingrid's skills, what will you suggest?
I would suggest practicing math and spelling skills at home, and I would also suggest that practicing these skills do not have to be done by doing worksheets or monotonous work. Math computations and comcepts could be explored and practiced through cooking together or even creating crafts together, such as sewing (if that happens to be a hobby). Spelling could take place at any moment also. Her grandmother could help strengthen these skills by possible reading more complex books (since she is very good at reading comprehension). Possibly they could read books together. While Ingrid is doing well in science, social studies, and reading cmprehension, I think it is important to remind the grandmother that she can still support Ingrid with these activities.
If I were meeting with her grandmother about the recent standardized test scores, I would discuss with her, first, the areas in which Ingrid did the best. I would begin by discussing Ingrid's reading comprehension score and how she excelled in this subject area by scoring in the 92nd percentile. I may discuss with her how Ingrid has a high interest in reading, and her reading comprehension score reflects that. She has excelled well beyond the average score. Next, I would talk about her scores in science and social studies. While the scores are not as high as reading comprhension, I would tell her that Ingrid is still doing exceptionally well in both subject areas, and while she may not show as much of an interest in these areas, she does understand the concepts and is able to reflect her knowledge on a standardized test. Finally, I would discuss with her grandmother the last three categories of the test: spelling, math computation, and math concepts. It appears that Ingrid is having difficulties with math and spelling. She seems to grasp math concepts a little better than math computation. As far as spelling, this subject seems to be difficult for Ingrid also. The spelling score is somewhat out of the ordinary (in my opinion) considering the very high score she received in reading comprehnsion. I would tell her grandmother that in order for Ingrid to gain more skills in spelling and math, I would identify where she is struggling along the continuum, then supply hre with the practice she needs.
If grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to help strengthen Ingrid's skills, what will you suggest?
I would suggest practicing math and spelling skills at home, and I would also suggest that practicing these skills do not have to be done by doing worksheets or monotonous work. Math computations and comcepts could be explored and practiced through cooking together or even creating crafts together, such as sewing (if that happens to be a hobby). Spelling could take place at any moment also. Her grandmother could help strengthen these skills by possible reading more complex books (since she is very good at reading comprehension). Possibly they could read books together. While Ingrid is doing well in science, social studies, and reading cmprehension, I think it is important to remind the grandmother that she can still support Ingrid with these activities.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Chapter 14: Assessment
Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.
In an early childhood classroom, assessment is used day in and day out on a continuous basis. The large portion of assessments done in an early childhood classroom are informal assessments; teachers are continually assessing their children on an informal level in order to gain information about their abilities and struggles. The method I would most commonly use with my children would be observation. In order to determine "where children are" I will have to continually observe their different behaviors in order to provide them more or less support in a particular area. Observation could either be done formally or informally; either very in depth and looking for particular clues to a certain behavior, or it can be done while children are playing together in the block area. Another great informal assessment tool to use in an early childhood classroom is developing some sort of checklist. While it may not tell you everything you should know about a certain subject, such as getting to know one-to-one correspondence, it will still give you a general idea of how the children understand the topic. Discussion during group time or lunch is another way to assess children on an informal level. The teacher can learn a lot about her students through their responses to a story, through a word game, or even through a large group activity such as making a web. These types of assessments will take up the majority of all assessments in an early childhood classroom. While there are not formal pencil-paper assessments per se, there are still several ways an early childhood teacher can assess her children.
On the formal level, paper-pencil assessments would not be sufficient in providing information about what children know in Pre-K. The most sufficient strategy would be to assess children using performance assessment. If I were doing a lesson on a book study, I may assess what the children have learned about the book after reading. Each child could take a turn telling something they noticed or remembered from the story. In another lesson about the same book, the children could produce their own book based on what they have learned about books (does it have a beginning, middle, and end? Illustrations?). Through dramatic play, I may learn the concepts the children have grasped from the story by the way they are playing with materials, using costumes, and interacting through dialogue. Some sort of final assessment of the entire lesson may be revisiting what the children know about the story or just books in general, and compare that to their knowledge prior to the lesson.
Consider norm referenced assessment and criterion referenced assessment. Are there advantages to both? Are their disadvantages?
I can see that there are advantages to both types of assessments and there are also disadvantages. One advantage of criterion referenced assessment is the ability to get precise results that tell what a student does not know concerning the topic. On a science test covering the components of plant and animal cells, it is assumed that from lessons the students have learned the material, and based on the test, the teacher can determine which students have failed to learn the material. This type of assessment determines whether or not students have learned curriculum material. A disadvantage to this could be that, as the teacher, I assume that since the student got a question wrong then he/she does not know the material; however, there could be other factors that play in to why the student got the question wrong, and possibly later (after tests are handed back out) I may notice the students disappointment in not paying attention to the question or some other factor that cause him/her to answer wrong.
In regards to norm-referenced assessment, one advantage of this type of assessment may be that scoring in an average or high percentile when compared to other students may mean that the student has a good general knowledge of concepts. While it is great to know how one ranks among other students their age, it is not a good measure of what children know. Many norm-referenced assessments do not focus on topics students are currently studying or have recently studied. They focus more on what all students at a certain age should know and should have learned in all their years of education. This method is useful when applying for college or graduates programs and for assessment over an entire school year, but in other terms, I do not find it to have great advantages. One of the greatest disadvantages I see is the stigma scoring in a certain percentile may put on a student. If a student has taken many norm-referenced assessments and continually scores in the lowest percentile (even though he may be very smart) could diminish his self-esteem and outlook towards school. I would prefer to use criterion referenced assessments in my classroom, and I know that it will not be possible to avoid norm-referenced assessments because these assessments are used on almost every grade level.
In an early childhood classroom, assessment is used day in and day out on a continuous basis. The large portion of assessments done in an early childhood classroom are informal assessments; teachers are continually assessing their children on an informal level in order to gain information about their abilities and struggles. The method I would most commonly use with my children would be observation. In order to determine "where children are" I will have to continually observe their different behaviors in order to provide them more or less support in a particular area. Observation could either be done formally or informally; either very in depth and looking for particular clues to a certain behavior, or it can be done while children are playing together in the block area. Another great informal assessment tool to use in an early childhood classroom is developing some sort of checklist. While it may not tell you everything you should know about a certain subject, such as getting to know one-to-one correspondence, it will still give you a general idea of how the children understand the topic. Discussion during group time or lunch is another way to assess children on an informal level. The teacher can learn a lot about her students through their responses to a story, through a word game, or even through a large group activity such as making a web. These types of assessments will take up the majority of all assessments in an early childhood classroom. While there are not formal pencil-paper assessments per se, there are still several ways an early childhood teacher can assess her children.
On the formal level, paper-pencil assessments would not be sufficient in providing information about what children know in Pre-K. The most sufficient strategy would be to assess children using performance assessment. If I were doing a lesson on a book study, I may assess what the children have learned about the book after reading. Each child could take a turn telling something they noticed or remembered from the story. In another lesson about the same book, the children could produce their own book based on what they have learned about books (does it have a beginning, middle, and end? Illustrations?). Through dramatic play, I may learn the concepts the children have grasped from the story by the way they are playing with materials, using costumes, and interacting through dialogue. Some sort of final assessment of the entire lesson may be revisiting what the children know about the story or just books in general, and compare that to their knowledge prior to the lesson.
Consider norm referenced assessment and criterion referenced assessment. Are there advantages to both? Are their disadvantages?
I can see that there are advantages to both types of assessments and there are also disadvantages. One advantage of criterion referenced assessment is the ability to get precise results that tell what a student does not know concerning the topic. On a science test covering the components of plant and animal cells, it is assumed that from lessons the students have learned the material, and based on the test, the teacher can determine which students have failed to learn the material. This type of assessment determines whether or not students have learned curriculum material. A disadvantage to this could be that, as the teacher, I assume that since the student got a question wrong then he/she does not know the material; however, there could be other factors that play in to why the student got the question wrong, and possibly later (after tests are handed back out) I may notice the students disappointment in not paying attention to the question or some other factor that cause him/her to answer wrong.
In regards to norm-referenced assessment, one advantage of this type of assessment may be that scoring in an average or high percentile when compared to other students may mean that the student has a good general knowledge of concepts. While it is great to know how one ranks among other students their age, it is not a good measure of what children know. Many norm-referenced assessments do not focus on topics students are currently studying or have recently studied. They focus more on what all students at a certain age should know and should have learned in all their years of education. This method is useful when applying for college or graduates programs and for assessment over an entire school year, but in other terms, I do not find it to have great advantages. One of the greatest disadvantages I see is the stigma scoring in a certain percentile may put on a student. If a student has taken many norm-referenced assessments and continually scores in the lowest percentile (even though he may be very smart) could diminish his self-esteem and outlook towards school. I would prefer to use criterion referenced assessments in my classroom, and I know that it will not be possible to avoid norm-referenced assessments because these assessments are used on almost every grade level.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)